Your Heart's Desire
by IWriteToSurvive
Summary: Hermione and Fred share a very intimate night at Shell Cottage and the result is something entirely magical. What happens when Fred betrays her? Will their relationship last or will someone else come to save Hermione from her downward spiral? What would happen if Hermione found someone else to take care of her and her baby? Fremione first then Dramione. Please send me reviews. )
1. Chapter 1: One Night

Chapter 1

One Night

It happened at Shell Cottage. The night after their escape from Malfoy Manor. Fred had gotten word that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had narrowly escaped death and fled to his brother's house. Immediately, he left for the cottage by the sea. He knew he shouldn't, but he had to. He had to see her.

It was nearly midnight when a knock came at the kitchen door of Shell Cottage. Hermione, Bill, and Fleur all jumped at the unexpected noise and quickly drew their wands. They had been the only ones still awake at this point and were all very cautious of the unexpected visitor of the other side of the back door.

"Whoever is at my door, answer me this; friend or foe?" said Bill evenly as he reached the door, reciting the security question.

"I am neither friend nor foe," came the response. "I am family."

Hermione's heart jumped to her throat as she recognized the voice of one Fred Weasley. Her boyfriend. She let out a small gasp as her hand flew to her lips. Bill's head snapped back to look at her with concerned, questioning eyes.

"You need to ask me my question and I need to ask yours," came Fred's voice again.

Bill had turned to answer when Hermione spoke quietly to him. "Would you mind if I asked him? Please, Bill?"

Trusting Hermione and only hesitating slightly, Bill nodded and stood aside to allow her access to the door. Nervous, Hermione only took a few small steps toward the door. Her hands shook slightly as she asked the question that she and Fred had settled on before she, Harry, and Ron had left to hunt Horcruxes.

"Fred Weasley," she said with more confidence than she felt. "Where did you and I share our first kiss?"

Bill and Fleur exchanged looks of shock and astonishment at her question. No one in the entire family would have expected this.

"The Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts on my eighteenth birthday."

Hermione nodded slightly to Bill and said to Fred," Correct. Your turn."

"What was the last promise we made to each other?" he asked through the door.

Hermione sighed before giving her answer with a slight smile on her face at the memory of their silly promise. "We promised to survive. And we also promised to always set off fireworks on our anniversary."

"And when is our anniversary?" he said in a small, gentle voice, much unlike his usual joyous tones. Bill had never heard him speak so lovingly.

"June eighth. We've been together almost two years now," replied Hermione with a small smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

"That's right," said Fred as Bill opened the door for him.

The second Bill opened the door, Fred and Hermione flung themselves at each other, holding the other in a tight embrace and relishing in each other's warm touch. "Fred," said Bill, drawing the attention of the couple. Fred reluctantly released Hermione and turned to his brother, embracing him briefly.

Fred turned back to Hermione and sighed. He held her close and placed his head on her chin. He sighed out of relief and said, "I'm so glad you're alive."

Hermione breathed in his scent deeply and released a shuddering breath, her whole body shaking as she began to cry. With a knowing smile, Fleur hold of Bill's hand and led him upstairs to bed, giving Hermione and Fred some privacy.

Fred kissed the top of her head and she smiled. Without saying a word, Hermione too Fred by the hand and pulled him into the sitting room, gently guiding him to the couch where she had slept the night before. She kissed him heatedly after casting a quick silencing charm around the room. N owords were needed to know what Hermione wanted from Fred, and he quickly obliged.

An hour later, Hermione found herself naked, resting her head on Fred's shoulder as he held her close. She sighed contentedly. In her opinion, that night, the night she lost her virginity, couldn't have been any better. She just hope that, in the end, it would all be worth it.

She was right, it was. But it also wasn't.


	2. Chapter 2: The Final Battle

Chapter 2

The Final Battle

It had been nearly a month since Hermione and Fred's night together and Hermione knew that tonight would be the final battle. She didn't know how she knew for sure. But she did. This was it, the last chance she had to make a difference. So, she fought. She fought for Harry, she fought for Ron and his family, she fought for her parents, and most of all she fought for Fred. She had to fight for him and she had to survive.

Hermione fell to the ground, sputtering and coughing as she sucked in fresh air. They had narrowly escaped the Room of Requirement after destroying the diadem. Harry, the amazing person that he is, had insisted that they save Malfoy from the Fiend Fyre as well. Bless him, he's such a good soul.

Hermione had barely caught her breath before the trio's attention was caught by an approaching battle from just down the hall. As the fighting rounded the corner and the participants came into view, Hermione's breath caught. She didn't have to question it. She knew exactly who it was. Percy and… Fred.

Quickly getting to her feet, Hermione rushed to the aid of the two men without a second thought. That's when she saw it. A Death Eater, hidden from Fred and Percy's line of vision, was raising his wand to aim at something above Fred's head. Hermione froze on the spot and her eyes grew large at the sight before her. As if in slow motion, Hermione's eyes traveled to the point above Fred's head that the Death Eater was aiming at.

"Fred! Percy, look out!" she shouted as a spell hit the wall above the two Weasleys. She knew that they wouldn't be able to move out of the way in time and quickly cast the strongest shield charm she could think of around them. It was lucky she was such a quick thinker, otherwise they would definitely be dead right now, but she refused to lose Fred. Not after all this fighting. Not when they were so close to being rid of Voldemort for good.

Panting heavily, Hermione dropped her wand arm, releasing the shield charm as the last of the rubble fell away and the dust settled. Hermione saw the Death Eaters that they had been fighting hadn't survived the fall of the wall. She didn't even notice that Harry and Ron had rushed to her side with their wands drawn. She only had eyes for Fred as he looked around and slowly met her gaze.

"Fred," she said in a whisper.

Relief flooded his eyes as he caught sight of her standing there.

"Hermione," he said as he rushed to her.

Without even thinking about the war raging around her, Hermione ran to meet Fred and jumped into his open arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as she hugged him tightly.

Fred gladly accepted her into his arms and spun her around once before stopping and closing his eyes, sighing in content. When Fred felt Hermione unwrap her legs from his waist and lower herself to the ground, he opened his eyes briefly before grabbing either side of her face and kissing her fiercely. Percy, Harry, and Ron exchanged looks of astonishment and shock.

No one knew that someone else looked at Fred and Hermione's spectacle with agonized jealousy.

Harry cleared his throat to get their attention. "Er, sorry guys, but now is really not the time for this."

Fred and Hermione broke apart, smiling at each other. They knew they had to separate again but they made a silent vow to return to each other, no matter what.

"Be safe," Fred said with a serious look.

"I will," Hermione replied. "And don't you dare scare me like that ever again, Fred Weasley."

He smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it, love," he said with a wink as they parted to join the battle once more.

It was over. It was finally over. Hermione, Harry, and Ron looked around them at the mess of rubble and dust in the Entrance Hall. They could hardly believe that all their fighting was now over, as the war died with Voldemort. Turning to each other, the trio embraced as one. After a good few moments of happy silence, Ron spoke, with an obvious smirk on his face.

"So, Hermione, you and Fred, eh?"

Instantly, Hermione pulled away from the group hug with wide eyes and a slight blush. How could she have forgotten to find Fred first?

Without saying anything, Hermione rushed off into the Great Hall, Harry and Ron following closely behind her. The moment they stepped foot into the hall, a gentle, grateful applause welcomed them. Many faces smiled at them but Hermione only searched for the face of one specific Weasley boy. A flash of long red hair swept past Hermione and she knew that Ginny had rushed directly to Harry.

Hermione's eyes searched for the familiar pair of hazel orbs that belonged to Fred. To _her_ Fred. A commotions slightly to the left and behind a group of people caught her attention.

"Mum," said a muffled voice. "Let go of me!"

"No, Fred," replied the voice of Mrs. Weasley. "You need to rest."

Hermione's face went pale at those words. Had something more happened to Fred while they had need apart during the battle?

"I'm fine, Mum!" Fred growled in frustration.

Then, before Hermione could so much as move an inch, Fred shoved his way through the crowd that had been previously blocking him from view.

"Fred, come back here right now! You need to lay down!" came Mrs. Weasley's frantic voice as she emerged from the crowd, trying to pull Fred back to the conjured cot on the floor behind them.

"Hermione," Fred said as he wrenched himself from his mother's grasp and wrapped her in his arms. "Thank Merlin, you're all right!"

Without a second thought, Hermione hugged Fred back as she shook slightly. She sighed. In Fred's arms once more, Hermione finally felt safe. Fred nudged her face up to look at him. He smiled down at her and captured her lips in his once more, not even caring about the audience they had of the onslaught of whispers and wolf whistles that erupted throughout the entire hall.

With wide eyes, Molly looked at Fred and Hermione in their intimate embrace. She had always hoped that Hermione would someday become a part of the family, and she had also known that Hermione would not end up with Ron. Though she was glad that Hermione was with one of her sons, she had not expected that son to be Fred.

As Hermione and Fred broke apart from their kiss, Fred began to shake and sweat from the overexertion of standing too long. Though he grinned like a madman at her, Hermione could see him quickly lose all color and get rather clammy. Instantly worried, Hermione went pale herself and helped to support Fred's weight, putting an arm around his waist. George rushed forward and carefully helped guide his twin back to the cot on the floor.

"What happened to him?" Hermione asked Mrs. Weasley as she crouched down next to her son with her wand out.

"Nasty cutting curse," she replied. "He lost a lot of blood before anyone could get to him. It was lucky Arthur found him when he did. I was able to heal the cuts but he still needs to rest for a good, long while."

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded as Fred gently squeezed her hand in soft reassurance. She smiled down at him and kissed the hand she held.

"I thought I told you no to scare me again, Fred Weasley," she said, scolding him. Fred caught the subtle smirk on her lips.

He smirked in return. "Oh, you know me, love. I live to live dangerously. It wouldn't be living if there wasn't a little bit of danger involved."

Fred winked and Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"Hermione," said a voice from behind.

Hermione stood and saw Percy standing before her. Allowing Mrs. Weasley to care for Fred, she release his hand and stood to address Percy.

The moment she turned toward him, Percy did something completely out of character; he threw his arms around Hermione and hugged her. Startled by the unexpected gesture, Hermione froze, unsure of what to do. After a few seconds, she returned his hug, awkwardly.

"Oi!" Fred shouted from behind them. "Just because we've taken you back into the family, doesn't mean you can try to steal my girl, Perce!"

Everyone near enough to hear laughed, including Fred and Hermione. Percy shook his head then looked down at Hermione with a rare, warm smile.

"Thank you, Hermione. You saved my life back there. Fred's, too. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to fall for that particular brother of mine."

"Hey!" Fred said, indignantly.

Percy chuckled lightly. "But thank you. I don't know what I'd do without Fred, or any of my brothers, for that matter. Thanks to you, I don't have to know what that's like," he said giving her another hug.

"Don't mention it, Percy," Hermione replied with a small smile. "You're all like family to me. I would've done it for any of you, no matter what."

Sitting back down next to Fred, Hermione took his hand as a sudden question seemed to strike Percy.

"How long have you two been together, anyway? I know I've been gone for a while but I'm sure I would've heard about this before now."

Fred and Hermione both cringed at his question. They knew that Mrs. Weasley would have a cow when she heard the answer. Hermione took a deep breath while Fred looked intently at the ceiling as white clouds passed overhead. She looked up at Percy, carefully avoiding Mrs. Weasley's eye. She could feel the intense stares she was getting.

"Next month, we will have been together for two years," Hermione finally stated.

There was shocked silence among the Weasleys, only Bill and Fleur looking unsurprised. Bill, knowing the explosion that was about to erupt from his mother, spoke first.

"Don't start, Mum," They kept it a secret for a reason, and I suspect that reason was to protect each other and all of us. Don't badger them about it. They did what they thought was best." Mrs. Weasley seemed to consider his words and kept quiet, though she pursed her lips out of irritation. "Oh, and Fred," continued Bill as an afterthought. He smiled with a wicked glint in his eyes. "If you hurt our Hermione in any way, I won't hesitate to feed your bits to one of Charlie's dragons."

Fred's eyes grew large and he instinctively moved his hand to protect himself.

"Bill!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

Bill just smirked in satisfaction at his younger brother's reaction.

"Here, here!" came a shout from behind Bill. Percy smiled at them, clearly approving of his older brother's threat.

Hermione couldn't help it. She let out a giggle at their antics. Fred looked at her incredulously and she immediately bit her tongue to stop her laughter. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw a flash of platinum blonde hair and her attention instantly snapped to the Malfoy family, who sat alone in a far corner of the Great Hall. Quickly, Hermione stood to get a better look at the pale Slytherin who had saved her life on more than one occasion. Their eyes met briefly before Hermione's attention was drawn away again.

"Hermione," said Fred. "What is it?"

Hermione swiftly crouched down to whisper in Fred's ear, explaining everything as quickly as possible. Fred's expression slowly slipped from concern to blank understanding. Fred gave her a hesitant, understanding nod as she kissed his forehead before walking away from the Weasleys and toward the Malfoys.

The hall fell silent and all eyes followed her. Hermione, sensing all the staring, held her head up a little higher and walked with purpose.

Draco hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she entered the Great Hall, although, he did close his eyes briefly when she had kissed Fred Weasley. Draco didn't want to witness that act of affection, not when it caused him to ache inside. When he saw her approach, he temporarily lost his breath and his heartrate quickened. She was covered in cuts and bruises, her skin and clothes coated in dirt and grime, but that didn't matter to him. No matter what her physical appearance, Draco would always find her absolutely stunning.

Draco let out a nervous breath as Hermione finally stood before him. He would have stood to greet her if it weren't for his injured leg, which he had been narrowly grazed by a burning hex when pushing Hermione out of the way of a charging acromantula.

Silence hung in the air as Hermione stood before the Malfoy family, hovering above Draco. She hesitated slightly before sitting on the cold, stone floor next to him and taking out her wand to help take care of his leg. The four of them sat there in strained silence as Hermione ran her wand over Draco's leg to try and assess the damage.

Draco observed her carefully as she slowly moved her wand over his calf and knee. There was something different about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Despite her fiercely concentrated expression, Draco could see a gently calmness about her. His trance was broken when Hermione began to speak, addressing his mother on his left.

"Could you help me, Mrs. Malfoy?" she asked in a gentle voice. "I need to see the entire burn"

"Of course," Narcissa replied. "What can I do? I've never been the best with healing spells."

Hermione shook her head. "No, I just need you to cut away the cloth around the burn. I can't help to heal it if I can't get to all of it."

Mrs. Malfoy nodded and immediately began to cut away at Draco's left pant leg with her wand. Draco tried his best to hold still while his mother cut his trousers, exposing nearly all of his leg.

Hermione began to dig around in a tiny bag, plunging her entire arm into it. After a few moments of searching, she pulled out several objects. Draco noticed bright, white bandages, several bottles full of various potions, and a medium-sized metal tin, the contents of which he did not know.

"All right," said Narcissa. "I think that's all of it."

Hermione looked up and carefully observed the burn, which she could now see covered most of his thigh and calf.

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione stated before turning to address Draco. "This is going to hurt, Draco. I'm sorry, but I don't very much of my pain potions left, but I do have this one," she said handing him a vial full of a yellow potion. "It's a numbing potion. It's not much but it should help a little with the pain while I clean your leg. I need you to trust me and take that now, then, I need you to lay on your right side so I can get to your leg better."

Draco nodded and downed the potion in one gulp, instantly feeling a slight tingling sensation run through him and down to his leg.

Handing Hermione back the empty vial, he said, without thinking twice, "I've always trusted you." They shared a quick look before Draco followed Hermione's instructions and laid down on his side.

Hermione nodded and spoke to his parents once more. "Mrs. Malfoy I need you to help me. Hand me the bandages and potions when I need them, please?" Narcissa nodded and moved to sit next to Hermione, near Draco's head. "Mr. Malfoy, I'm going to need your help, too, if you're willing."

"Yes, of course," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Okay," Hermione said. "I need you to come over here and hold his leg down while I clean it. The potion I gave him will help some but not much. I can't imagine this will be too pleasant and I can't have him squirming."

As Mr. Malfoy got into position, Hermione looked closer at Draco's burn and decided that some of the skin was beyond saving and would have to be scraped away. Inwardly, Hermione flinched. She knew that was going to be very painful.

"How are you feeling, Draco?" she asked.

"I've felt better," he admitted with a slight grimace.

"Has the pain subsided at all since you drank the potion?"

"A little, I suppose," he said with a wince as he adjusted his position on the floor.

Hermione nodded again then took a deep breath as she prepared herself. "You might want to bite down on something, Draco. It's a lot worse than I originally thought."

"I'll be fine," he replied.

"Okay then," she said. "Prepare yourself."

Draco took a deep, steadying breath, before nodding to her, indicating that he was ready.

"Hold tight, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione instructed.

When she thought Draco was good and pinned down, she immediately began to scrape away lightly at Draco's burnt and dead flesh with a potion soaked cloth. A piercing cry escaped Draco's lips. Doing her best to ignore his whimpers, Hermione plunged forward while Lucius struggle to keep his son still. After several, painstaking minutes of stripping away his dead flesh, Hermione finally paused in her efforts to help him. She placed a gently hand on Draco's forearm. He had started to shake violently and a thin film of sweat had formed on his brow.

At her touch, Draco opened his eyes and Hermione gave him a reassuring smile. "You're doing wonderful, Draco," she said. "I'm nearly finished. I know it hurts, but I need you to do your best to hold still. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Draco reached down and gently squeezed the hand that she had placed on his arm.

"Yes."

Hermione smiled, then turned to Narcissa. "Mrs. Malfoy, will please give me the green, blue, and purple potions – thank you." Gently, she began to dab the various potions on the burn as Draco bit back more anguished cries.

"Okay, now will you hand me the tin of ointment and the bandages?" she said. "Thank you. Now, Draco, this is going to be rather cold. It should feel quite nice, actually, but I need you to relax your leg as much as possible. This will be more effective if your muscles aren't tense."

Hermione quickly finished up with the ointment, with a few strangled yelps from Draco, and used her wand to wrap his entire leg in the white bandages. When she was finished, Hermione helped Draco to sit up against the wall and sat next to him. Quietly, Hermione began to pack up her empty potion vials. They were all silent for what seemed like ages before Draco spoke.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you for helping me. I don't deserve it."

"Nonsense," Hermione replied firmly. "Of course you deserve to be helped. You did save my life, after all. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here right now."

Draco fell silent.

"Thank you, by the way," she continued in a small voice. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"There's no need to repay me. Besides, you healed my leg. I'd say that's more than enough gratitude."

They smiled kindly at one another.

Hermione got up to leave, giving Mrs. Malfoy strict instructions on how to care for Draco's burn. As she turned to walk back to the Weasleys, Draco called out to stop her.

"Hermione, wait!"

Shocked at his use of her first name, Hermione whipped around to see Draco, struggling to stand. Her eyes grew wide with worry that he might fall and she nearly rushed forward to catch him but, his father held him up quickly. Draco regained his footing and addressed Hermione again.

"Hermione, I'm sorry," he said firmly. She froze on the spot. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you in school. I'm sorry for everything terrible I've ever done to you, and I'm sorry I couldn't do anything more to stop my aunt torturing you back at the Manor. I don't deserve to be forgiven and I don't expect to be, but I hope you can accept my apology."

Hermione stood rooted to the spot for a few moments. She never expected Draco Malfoy to apologize to her and it took a good long while for it to sink in. His eyes never left hers and she could tell that he meant every word.

Gingerly, Draco took a step forward, his parents standing close behind in case they needed to catch him again.

"And I wanted to thank you," he said, softly. "For fixing me up, I mean. You didn't have to, but I'm grateful that you did. No one else would've done it. Thank you so much for being the kind and caring person that you are."

Without warning, Hermione walked right up to Draco and gently embraced him. He only hesitated slightly before hugging her in return. He sighed softly and closed his eyes, enjoying the moment while it lasted.

A scandalous murmur ran through the Hall.

"Of course, I accept your apology," Hermione said as she pulled away. "I can't speak for anyone else, but I forgive you, Draco."

Hermione gave him one last, quick hug before pulling away and returning to the Weasleys.

Fred smiled as Hermione made her way back to him. He had witnessed the entire encounter and he couldn't help but grin, stupidly. His girlfriend was the most forgiving person he had ever met.


	3. Chapter 3: The Aftermath of War

Chapter 3

The Aftermath of War

The summer heat beat down on the back of Hermione neck as she made her way through Diagon Alley. It was now the seventh of June, a month after the Battle of Hogwarts and the day before her anniversary with Fred. Most of the shops were still closed for reconstruction and the twins' shop was no exception. The war had destroyed a lot of the wizarding and muggle worlds alike.

Hermione entered the joke shop and made her way through the wreckage towards the back room where she knew Fred would be.

"Hey, George," she said as she passed the one-eared twin who was sorting through wrecked displays.

"Oh, hello, Hermione," he said as he wiped sweat from his brow. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing really," she said – a mild lie. "I just wanted a quick word with Fred about our plans for tomorrow, but if you're too busy I can come back later."

"And deny my twin the chance to see his dear Hermione? I don't think so. I wouldn't hear the end of it for at least a week," he said with a laugh. Hermione smiled. "Go ahead; he's in back with Verity. They're testing out a few mislabeled products. The Death Eaters destroyed this place. Half our inventory was damaged and the other half got all mixed together and we can't tell what most of it is."

Hermione laughed at his annoyed face. "All right, thanks George," she said as she headed toward the stock room.

Weaving her way through boxes that had been knocked over in the back room, Hermione froze when she heard very intimate noises coming from around the corner where she knew Fred and George had their personal work desks. Hermione's stomach dropped and her heart rate quickened. Slowly, she made her way toward the noises, praying they weren't what she thought they were. Silently, she rounded the corner and her heart stopped at the sight in front of her. Her blood ran cold.

Fred and Verity were locked in a fiery kiss, both of their shirts discarded on the floor as Fred propped Verity up to sit on his desk.

Hermione's lips quivered as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She held them in, not wanting to cry in front of anyone. That's when she spotted the tiny bottle on the desk next to where Verity was currently sitting. Silently, Hermione cast a summoning charm on the bottle. It flew into her hands without Fred or Verity noticing, as they were too preoccupied.

With quivering hands, Hermione observed the tiny bottle and tried to decipher the lettering on its faded label. Only recognizing a large letter H, Hermione observed the bottle closely, assuming this was the product that Fred and Verity had been 'testing.'

Recognition dawned on Hermione and her heart sank. She recognized the bottle. It was one of the love potions the twins had developed for the shop. This one in particular was designed to make the drinker act out his or her deepest desires. It was the only potion of its kind in existence.

Hermione shook with agony as the betrayal played out in front of her. She took a deep breath and quietly retreated from the back room of the shop. The walk to the front of the shop seemed to take ages and by the time she reached the front counter, tears had managed to escape her eyes – which George took immediate notice of.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he said with great concern as he rushed out from behind the counter to hug her. It was a good thing the shop hadn't reopened yet. Hermione wouldn't want to be seen in this state. "What happened? Did my less handsome half pick a fight?"

Hermione appreciated that George was trying to lighten the mood and make her smile, but right now, all she could think about was Fred holding Verity. The grimaced at the very thought. George noticed the effect his words had on her and quickly became serious, holding her gently by the shoulders.

"Hermione, talk to me. What happened?"

Hermione took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped her tears away before answering him. "Nothing, George, I'm fine," she said.

"You're a terrible liar, Hermione," he said with a shake of his head. "Tell ol' Georgie what's wrong!"

Hermione let a small, sad smile appear on her face before it faded once more. Avoiding George's eyes, which looked so much like Fred's, Hermione spoke quietly.

"I'll be fine, George, I promise. It'll take a while, I'm sure, but I'll be fine."

Worried at her answer, George said, "What exactly happened back there? Did Fred do something completely stupid and break things off with you?"

Hermione let out a short, sarcastic laugh. "No, not exactly," she said.

George gave her a confused look.

"Let's just say I found out how Fred really feels," she said, handing him the empty bottle of love potion that she was still holding.

George looked at it with furrowed brows.

"Look, George, is the fireplace in yours and Fred's flat still connected to the Floo Network? I'd Apparate back to the Burrow but I'm a little too upset right now and I'd rather not risk splinching myself."

"Yeah, it's still connected but, Hermione, come on. Surely you and Fred need to talk this out. Whatever he's done on this potion, I'm sure you two can work it out."

"I doubt that, George," she replied with a sigh as she wiped away more tears.

"Why, Hermione? What did he do?"

She gave him a pained look. "Go see for yourself," she said as she turned to ascend the stairs to the twins flat. "I'm leaving. Tell your brother that I hope he's found true happiness now."

Not wanting to answer any more questions, Hermione Flood directly to the Burrow. The moment she stepped out of the fireplace she ran directly into a red-headed Weasley. She apologized profusely to Bill as she tried to step around him so she could rush to the room she shared with Ginny. But Bill stopped her.

"Woah, Hermione," he said gently grabbing her shoulders. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" Catching sight of her tear-streaked face, he froze, his eyes growing large. "What's wrong? What happened?"

The serious tone he spoke in caught the attention of those also present in the Weasley Family sitting room. The eyes of Fleur, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Arthur all settled on Hermione. She squirmed under their scrutiny.

"What's wrong?" Bill asked again.

Not wanting to go through this line of questioning again, Hermione gently shook herself free of Bill's grasp and locked eyes with her best friend and brother.

"Harry," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "Can I have a word, please?"

"Of course," he said, worry evident on his face.

No one tried to stop them as they headed up the stairs to Ginny's room. After shutting the door behind them, Hermione cast a few locking charms and silencing spells on the room before she turned to face Harry. The moment they locked eyes, she burst into fresh tears. Quickly, Harry wrapped Hermione in his arms and carefully guided her to sit on the nearest bed, making soothing sounds as they went.

Harry knew better than to ask Hermione what was wrong. He knew she would talk when she was ready, but after nearly fifteen minutes of this, his curiosity was peaked to bursting point. Finally, after another ten minutes of nonstop crying, Hermione managed to calm down enough to explain everything to Harry. He sat there patiently, listening to everything she had to say. When she finished her story, Harry sat there in silent anger. Harry had never once witnessed Hermione cry the way she was now, and he was beyond furious with Fred for being the one to cause his sister such pain.

They sat there in a small bout of companionable silence for a minute of two before Hermione lifted her head from Harry's shoulder and stood. She shuffled about the room, gathering her things.

"What are you doing, Hermione?" Harry asked with his brows furrowed.

"Packing," she replied simply.

"Packing? What for?"

"I can't stay here, Harry," she said.

"What? Of course you can stay here, Hermione! What, do you think Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are going to kick you out over something stupid Fred did? Hermione, you're like their second daughter. They'd be devastated if you left!"

"I know that, Harry," she said as she fought off a fresh wave of tears. "But I can't force myself to stay here. It's too painful."

Harry was silent at this. His anger at Fred heightened but he sighed in defeat. He knew there was no changing Hermione's mind once she's made it up.

"Where will you go?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said as she cast a charm so the rest of her things would pack themselves while she sat at the desk to compose a letter to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "I think I may go to Australia. Most of the remaining Death Eaters have been caught now, so I think it's high time I go find my parents."

"Hermione," Harry said in a slight panic. "You can't go do that on your own! It's still dangerous out there. I'll go with you."

"No, Harry," she said, pausing in writing her letter to give him a serious stare. "Please, I want to do this on my own. I need to be alone for a little while."

Harry ran his hand through his untidy hair out of frustration. "Fine," he said. "Just promise me you'll come home, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed and gave him a soft smile. "Of course, Harry. I was actually hoping you'd let me keep my spare things at Grimmuald Place until I got back?"

"Of course," he said, drawing her into a warm hug. "And you're more than welcome to stay there if you'd like to."

"Thank you so much, Harry," she said with a sad smile. "But I don't want to put you in the middle, so I won't stay long."

Harry was about to argue that it was not an issue but she turned away to finish her letter.

Less than ten minutes later, all of Hermione's things were packed and she was shrinking it all to fit in her tiny, beaded bag. With a heavy heart, Hermione and Harry descended the stairs of the Burrow. Hermione dreaded the reaction she was going to receive from the Weasleys. They would all want to stop her from leaving and would surely bombard her with questions as to why she wanted to leave in the first place. She didn't want to answer their questions and could only hope that Harry would explain everything to them once she had left.

At the bottom of the stairs Hermione stopped and took a deep breath. Next to wiping her parent's memories, this was going to be the hardest thing she had ever had to do. With Harry's solemn but encouraging nod, Hermione stepped foot into the sitting room. The worried whispers that everyone had been sharing stopped instantly. Harry nudged Hermione lightly and she hesitantly took a step forward. She took another deep breath and slowly spoke to those gathered before her. She noticed that Fred and George were still not among them. Hermione sighed in relief at this; she couldn't face Fred yet.

"I know you're all worried and I'm sorry to have frightened you. I know you all have questions, too, but I'm sorry, I'm not really up to answering any of them just yet," Hermione stated. She walked across the room and quickly gave Mr. and Mrs. Weasley loving hugs. "Here," she said to them. "This is for you. Thank you so much." She handed them the letter she had written.

She turned to Ron and Ginny, giving them swift hugs as well.

"I'll be back," she said. "Don't worry."

"Back?" asked Ron.

"Where are you going?" Ginny demanded.

Hermione hesitated. They deserved to know where she was going, but she also wanted to be left alone for a good long while. Before she could answer however, there was a commotion in the kitchen and a moment later the twins burst in through the doorway.

"Hermione," said Fred breathlessly.

The second Hermione disappeared up the stairs to their flat, George rushed toward to back room. He didn't know what Hermione meant by "how Fred really feels," and it honestly terrified him. As far as he knew, his twin was head-over-heels-in-love with Hermione. George furrowed his brows in confusion once more. It only took him a few seconds to connect the dots and then recognize the tiny bottle that she had handed him. It was their Heart's Desire Love Potion. What George didn't understand, was Hermione's reaction to it. If this was the product that Fred and Verity had been testing when she walked back there, then Fred should've professed him undying love for her the moment he set eyes on her. He should've done something crazy like tackle her to the ground and snogged her senseless or gotten down on one knee and proposed spontaneously. She _should_ have walked out of that back room with a goofy grin on her face, not with hurt tears running down her cheeks.

That's when George rounded the corner and found his twin and their employee in a rather compromising position. George couldn't believe his eyes. His own brother was cheating on Hermione. No wonder she looked so broken.

"OI!" George shouted in anger.

Verity jumped about a mile and she and Fred both looked up at him.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on in here?" George demanded furiously.

Fred looked at George with light irritation. "I think it's pretty obvious what's happening here, Georgie."

George glared at his twin and spoke through gritted teeth, "Verity, I need you to leave so I can have a word with Fred here."

Verity nodded and quickly scooped up her discarded shirt with a blush before fleeing from the room. Fred tried to go after her but George caught him by the elbow, stopping him.

"Merlin, George! Look what you've gone and done!" Fred said angrily.

"What I've done?" said George dangerously. "What about what _you've_ done? What the bloody hell were you doing with Verity?"

"Kissing, George, it's called kissing," came the sarcastic response.

"Why were you kissing her?"

"Oh, I don't know, let's see… because I like her and I wanted to?"

George narrowed his eyes at Fred in a deadly glare. "What about Hermione?"

Fred looked mildly confused. "What about her?"

George let out a frustrated growl and slapped his twin upside the head.

"Ouch!" Fred exclaimed, rubbing his head. "What the bloody hell was that for?"

"Hermione!" shouted George.

"What about her?" Fred repeated.

"_What about her?_ WHAT ABOUT HER! Are you kidding me, Fred? You were just caught snogging our employee when you're supposed to be with another woman! Or have you completely forgotten the fact that you've been dating Hermione for the past two years?"

"What are you talking about, George?" Fred asked, but his question was ignored as his twin continued to rant.

"Merlin, Fred! I never thought you were that thick. Have you been taking lessons from Ron or something? Why would you hurt Hermione like that? She loves you, Fred! Don't you know how lucky you are? Why would you ruin something like that?"

Fred continued to look confused and dumbfounded at his words. George growled in frustration once more and waved his wand, effectively stunning his brother until he could find the antidote to that stupid love potion. In his current state, he didn't trust Fred not to run off and go find Verity while he tried to fix his mess. George tore through boxes and scoured the shelves for the antidote, muttering angrily under his breath as he searched. He had never been so upset with his own twin before. After about fifteen minutes of searching to no avail, George finally got frustrated enough to cast a summoning charm.

With nothing short of absolute luck, a small bottle of a red liquid flew into George's hand. Quickly, he uncorked it and pried Fred's mouth open, pouring the antidote down his throat. He waited a few minutes for the potion to take effect before reviving Fred.

Slowly, Fred stood up and looked around, clearly confused. "What happened, Georgie?" he asked with furrowed brows.

"What happened," George replied, glaring at his twin. "It you're an absolute bloody moron who's just ruined the best thing that's ever happened to him! That's what happened."

Fred looked taken aback by his twin's hostility but then, slowly, realization hit him as the events of the past hour came flooding back to him.

"Oh, no," he said, going extremely pale.

"Yeah, _oh no,_" George replied dryly. "What in the name of Merlin were you thinking? How could you do that to Hermione, Fred?"

Fred sat down on a near-by, overturned cauldron as shock overtook him.

George continued to rant. "Why would you ruin that, Fred? Hermione loves you. I'd kill to have a woman look at me the way Hermione looks at you! Don't you have any idea how bloody lucky you are?"

Every word of this speech hit Fred with the force of a charging centaur. What had he done? He loved Hermione. Why would he betray her like that? Sure, he liked Verity – she was beautiful, smart, and funny – but did he like her so much that the Heart's Desire Love Potion would actually make him cheat on Hermione? Fred's stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought. He had never cheated on anyone before. He was raised to be a gentleman and respect all women.

With the knowledge of what the potion had made him do and what that meant, Fred buried his hands, ashamed of for the first time in his life. With shaking hands, Fred raised his head to look at his twin, his eyes filled with shame and pain.

"I have to find Hermione and tell her what happened," he said quietly.

George, still angry with his brother, spoke harshly. "Oh, you don't have to tell her what happened, Freddie. She already saw it for herself."

Fred went slightly green. "What?"

"Yeah," he replied. "She stopped by to see you. Said she needed to talk to you about plans for tomorrow or something. I told her to go on back. Not even five minutes later she comes out in tears and asks to use our Floo to get back home."

Fred stiffened where he sat on the cauldron. Panic filled him. "What else did he say?"

"She wouldn't tell me what happened or why she was so upset. Just asked me to tell you that she hopes you've found true happiness now."

Fred's stomach turned. _Oh no. _Quickly, he stood up and grasped George by the shoulders. "Did you say she left for the Burrow?" he asked urgently.

"Yeah," George answered. "She asked to use our Floo so she would splinch herself from being so upset."

Fred suddenly whipped around and rushed to his desk to retrieve his shirt.

"I have to go talk to her," he said as he pulled the shirt onto his shoulders and began to button it as quickly as possible.

"Damn right you have to talk to her!" George stated, clearly still irritated. "You owe her that, at the very least."

Fred nodded as he and his brother rushed from the shop to the nearest Apparition point. "I know. I just hope I can convince her to give me another chance."

With a pop, he and George Apparated to the Burrow and Fred all but ran to the kitchen door in order to find Hermione as fast as possible. He had to talk to her. Tomorrow was their anniversary. He couldn't stand the idea of losing her. Fred had to convince her that he loved her and not Verity, despite what the potion had made him do.

They burst through the door and into the sitting room. They froze, all eyes on them. Fred's eyes quickly found Hermione and his heart shattered when he saw her blood-shot eyes and tear-stained cheeks. What had he done?

All he could manage to say was her name.

"Hermione."


	4. Chapter 4: Coping with the Consequences

Hermione sat on her bed at Grimmuald Place and let her tears fall. Her breakup with Fred was still fresh in her mind from the night before. Today was supposed to be their anniversary and that thought was what made Hermione burst into tears just after waking up. There was a light knock on her bedroom door and she quickly brushed away her tears.

"Come in."

Harry stuck his head in through the door and slowly inched forward. Without saying a word, he sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her into his chest where she broke down once more. The image of yesterday's disastrous events flooded her vision.

_Hermione froze when she saw Fred. She was barely keeping her emotions in; she knew she couldn't handle seeing Fred right now._

_"__Hermione," Fred repeated as he took a tentative step towards her. "Please, let me explain –"_

_Hermione took a small step back as he took another step towards her. "I think the potion explained everything for you, Fred. Nothing you can say will change what I saw."_

_"__I know but, Hermione, please, it was the potion! I didn't mean to!" Fred was on the verge of pleading already. He was desperate to get Hermione to listen to him._

_"__I don't particularly care to hear what you have to say, Fred Weasley. What's done is done and we're over because of it."_

_Fred's eyes grew wide at her words. He tried to reason with her. "Wwwwhat? Hermione, please… no. I – I don't want to lose you! Please, we can work this out. I didn't mean to do it, the potion made me! Please, Hermione, I love you!"_

_Tears spilled over Hermione's cheeks at his words, but she would not give in so easily. He had betrayed her and that was the facts. Potion or not, part of him wanted to do what he did, and that was something Hermione could not easily forgive. It pained Hermione to say her next words, but she knew she had to. "No, Fred, we can't work this out. We can't be together. Especially when I can't trust you anymore."_

_Fred's breath caught at her words and his heart sank clear to his stomach. _

_Quickly, Hermione turned to Harry and whispered to him that she would be staying the night at Grimmuald Place. She had already made Harry promise not to tell Fred where she was going. With a nod to the rest of the shocked Weasley clan, Hermione swiftly made her way to the fireplace where she quietly, but clearly mumbled her destination before being swept out of sight._

_"__Hermione!" Fred shouted as he failed to reach her before she disappeared in the emerald flames._

From what Harry had told her after joining her at Grimmuald Place, Fred now had a broken nose and an angry Weasley family to deal with. He also said that Fred was desperate to see her, but Harry had refused to tell him where she had gone. Hermione was extremely grateful to him for this.

"Thank you, Harry," she said as she wiped away her tears the next morning. "I couldn't have asked for a better friend."

Harry nodded and rubbed her back soothingly. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Harry voiced a question that had been on his mind since the night before.

"Hermione?" he said gently.

"Hmm?"

"When are you leaving for Australia?"

Hermione sighed and shrugged. "I don't know, Harry. I was going to leave in a few days, but after yesterday, I think I'll wait a little while. I don't want to be sad when I go look for them. They don't need to see me like this."

Harry nodded again. "Okay, well, when you do decide to go, please, let me know? I want to be there for you."

Hermione let a soft, sad smile grace her lips. "I know. I appreciate it, Harry."

A week later, Hermione found herself sitting alone in the kitchen at Grimmuald Place, sipping on a hot cup of tea. Despite still being in pain over Fred, Hermione had forced herself to get up the last few days and try to function normally. Today was the first day she had managed to go the entire morning without crying.

Hermione was about to go wash up when the kitchen fireplace lit up emerald green and Harry stepped out of it, his arms laden with several Daily Prophets. Harry went to take another step forward and tripped on the rug in front of the hearth and went tumbling forward. On instinct, Hermione lunged forward and seized Harry's arm before he could hit the floor. The papers he had been carrying scattered across the kitchen.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice filled with concern.

Harry looked up at her in surprise and instantly a smile plastered his face and he jumped to wrap Hermione in a hug. "Hermione! You've come out of your room!" he exclaimed.

A soft chuckle escaped her as she lightly embraced him in return. "Yes, Harry, I've left my room."

Harry released her with a relieved grin. "Good. I was getting so worried!"

Hermione gave him a sad smile. He truly did fulfill the role of protective brother. In an attempt to stop herself from crying again, Hermione forced a smile. "So, what brought you over this early in the morning?"

Harry brushed the soot off of his robes and bent down to gather the newspapers in his arms again. "Your Daily Prophet copies have been coming to the Burrow. I thought I'd bring them to you," he said, dumping them on the table.

Hermione smiled lightly. "Thanks, Harry," she said, picking up a random paper. "Would you like some tea?"

Harry smiled and gave her a grateful nod before plopped down in a chair at the table. Hermione flicked her wand and the tea kettle and joined Harry at the table as the pot poured them each a fresh cup of tea of its own accord. They sat together for ten minutes, sipping their tea, when Harry hesitantly interrupted Hermione's reading of the Daily Prophet.

"Fred keeps asking about you, Hermione," he said tentatively. "He's becoming quite insistent on knowing where you've gone."

Hermione froze at the mention of Fred's name, but then relaxed as she let out a resigned sigh. Setting aside her paper and picking up another one, Hermione replied, "As much as I love him, I'm not ready to see him, yet. Please, can you understand that, Harry? Whether he meant to or not, he still betrayed me. That's not something I can forgive so easily. I certainly can't trust him anymore. I gave him everything I had to offer, I can't just forget what he's done."

"I know," Harry replied. "And I'm not asking you to forgive him. I just think you should sit down and talk to him. Honestly, I've seen Fred do nothing but mope around the Burrow for the past week. He's completely torn up over this. He's a wreck."

Hermione sighed again and took another sip of her tea. "Well, he's not the only one who's a mess right now."

Silence fell between them again and Hermione returned to her newspaper, only to nearly choke on her drink when she spotted the headline.

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed as Hermione splattered him with tea. "What is it?"

Hermione ignored him, her eyes zooming across the offending article.

"Hermione," Harry said, trying to catch her attention. "Hermione, what's going on?"

Silence.

It only took another few moments for Hermione to finish reading the article. Instantly, Hermione stood from her chair and dashed out of the kitchen towards her room with the paper clutched tightly to her chest. Harry shouted after her and scrambled up the stairs after her. He hadn't even reached the first floor landing when Hermione dashed past him again, this time heading towards the kitchen once more.

"Hermione," Harry said, catching her by the elbow before she could continue to the kitchen. "What is going on? Where are you going in such a rush?"

Hermione shook herself free of Harry's grasp and entered the kitchen with him on her heels. "I've got to go discuss a few things with Kingsley."

Harry furrowed his brow. "Kingsley? What do you need to talk to him for?"

Hermione shook her head. "No time to explain, Harry. I've got to go now, before it's too late. I'll be back as soon as possible. I'll explain it all then, I promise. Can you feed Crookshanks for me? Thanks!" Hermione said all of this very quickly while buttoning a travel cloak. She pecked Harry on the cheek and Flooed out before Harry could ask her any more questions.

Upon her arrival at the Ministry, she was in such a rush she nearly knocked over three Ministry workers as she stumbled out of the grate and into the lobby. Frantically, Hermione ran up to the witch at the guest reception desk.

"How can I help you today?" the witch asked in a bored voice.

"I need to speak with Kingsley Shackelbolt. Immediately."

The witch narrowed her eyes at the lack of use of Kingsley's 'Minister' title. "You need to speak with the Minister?" she asked flatly. "I'm afraid you'll have to make an appointment."

Hermione shook her head and snapped at the witch. "No, I need to talk to him now. It's an urgent matter."

The witch shifted in her seat. "The Minister is a very busy wizard. To see him, an appointment is required."

Hermione was about to retort when a deep baritone greeted her from behind.

"Hermione!" said the voice of none other than Kingsley Shackelbolt himself.

Hermione whipped around with a relieved smile on her face. "Kingsley! Just the man I was looking for."

He chuckled deeply and embraced her for a moment. "What brings you to the Ministry today, Hermione?"

Hermione cut straight to the chase. "The Malfoy trial. Specifically, Draco Malfoy."

Kingsley's expression turned serious and solemn as he gestured for Hermione to walk with him. "Please, continue," he said as they walked toward the lifts.

"You can't convict them, Kingsley," she said taking a deep breath. "At the end of the War they helped our side. They may have started out at Voldemort's supporters, but towards the end they wanted nothing to do with him. Especially Draco."

Kingsley was silent as the stepped into an empty lift, waiting for a little privacy before he spoke. Once the doors of the lift had closed and their decent began, he continued their conversation. "Yes," he said with a resigned sigh. "I agree with you, Hermione, but unfortunately there is nothing I can do to stop the trial."

"Surely, there's something you can do!" Hermione said frantically.

"I'm afraid not," he replied with a shake of his head. "I've tried to stop it, but too many people suffered because of the Malfoy family. If they didn't at least go on trial, there'd be an uproar. My hands are tied on this."

Hermione raked a frustrated hand through her wild hair. "There's got the _something_ I can do!"

Kingsley thought for a moment as the lift continued to take them further downward. "Actually, there might be something you could do," he said.

"What is it?" Hermione eagerly asked.

"Well," the Minister replied as they finally exited the lifts. "I'm heading to their trial right now. Perhaps you could join me and testify on their behalf?" Hermione stopped in her tracks and gave him an unsure look. "It will help them more than you might think. If you, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's best friend and heroine of the Second War, is willing to defend the Malfoys, then we might have a chance of swaying the Council's vote in their favor."

Hermione bit her lip, contemplating his words. Truth be told, she knew he was right. After everything Hermione had been through in the past week, it would feel nice to know that she had tried to help improve someone's situation. "Okay," she said. "I'll do it."

Kingsley nodded. "Let's go then. Follow me, I will make certain that you get to address the court directly." She nodded and straightened her robes and he held the door to the courtroom open for her.

As they sat before the court, waiting for the trial to start, Hermione couldn't help but fidget. The room quickly began to kill with witches and wizards who all wanted to witness the fall of the Malfoy family. The size of the crowd was beginning to make Hermione nervous. Luckily, she didn't have long to be nervous. Silence filled the room as the doors of the courtroom opened and all three Malfoys entered the room, escorted by several Aurors. All of them were shackled.

As the Malfoy family took their seats before the court, Kingsley stood from his seat and addressed the room. "We are brought here today to pass judgment on the Malfoy family for their involvement with the Dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort and other criminal activities," he said firmly. "Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy, you stand before the Wizengamot today, accused of dark activities and several other unspeakable crimes against the Wizarding and Muggle worlds alike. You are here to answer for these crimes."

A deadened silence hung in the room.

"Now," Kingsley continued. "As this court has already heard your testimonies and reviewed the evidence against you, today will be our final meeting in order to determine your guilt or innocence and to decide your fate." A murmur rang throughout the gathered crowd. Hermione hadn't taken her eyes off of the Malfoy family since they had arrived. All of them appeared slightly defeated. Draco looked broken and hadn't taken his eyes off of the floor since he entered the room. As the whispers died down, Kingsley continued. "Are there any last-minute testimonies on behalf of the accused?"

Hermione took a deep breath as a cold, stony silence followed this question. Then she stood from her seat only to be greeted by shocked gasps from the crowd.

"I, Hermione Granger, would like to offer my testimony on behalf of the Malfoy family."

An outraged whisper rang across the courtroom at her words and Draco looked up from the floor for the first time with wide eyes and mouth agape.

"Miss Granger will now address the court," Kingsley announced. "You have the floor for five minutes, Miss Granger. I suggest you use this time wisely."

Hermione nodded as Kingsley shot her an encouraging smile. With another deep breath, she stepped down from the stands and approached the three Malfoys, all of whom looked at her with surprise. Once she stood next to Draco, Hermione turned to address the court but her attention was caught before she could begin her speech.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Draco hissed at her quietly.

"I'm doing what is right," she replied with a soft smile before turning to address the court again. "I know many of you want to see the Malfoy family punished for their wrongdoings. You want them to suffer as many of you have suffered. We all know the pain that resulted as an extension of their actions. But, what most of you don't know, it that without their help, we would have lost the War."

Most people exchanged doubtful looks.

"It's true," she continued. "Yes, we all have Harry Potter to thank for ending Voldemort's reign of terror, but without the brave actions of the Malfoy family, Harry might well have died before he had the chance to save us all."

"Poppycock!" said an outraged member of the crowd.

Hermione looked at the stranger for a prolonged moment before taking a step forward. "You don't believe me," she said with a hint of irritation. "Fine, if it's evidence you require, then evidence is what I shall give you." She then proceeded to yank up her left robe sleeve, exposing the forearm and the scar it now bore. "Mudblood," she said flatly. "This mark was given to me by Bellatrix Lestrange after Harry, Ron, and I were captured by Snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor."

Several members of the crowd released horrified gasps.

"Right before we were captured, I cast a spell on Harry to try and disguise him. It was terribly rushed magic that only partially worked. Parts of him were still recognizable. Once we got to Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix gave Draco the task of identifying Harry. I know he recognized him, it was quite obvious, but Draco refused to positively identify Harry. For this and other reasons, Bellatrix tortured me, attempting to get information from me," Hermione had to pause briefly here, the past event still plaguing her. She dropped her arm back down to her side. "It was only by the grace of God that we managed to escape not long after that.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry went into the forest to face Voldemort alone. His plan was to sacrifice himself to save us all. Without Narcissa Malfoy, that might not have happened. Harry told me what happened in the forest. Voldemort used the killing curse on him and then tasked Mrs. Malfoy with confirming Harry's death. She knew he had survived the curse again, but she still told Voldemort that he was dead. She lied to the most powerful dark wizard of our time. She risked her own life and if she hadn't, we very well may have lost the war."

Hermione paused, letting that information sink in with the listening crowd. Knowing her time had long since been up, Hermione moved to make her final point. She walked back to stand next to Draco once more.

"Now, I can't speak for everyone and I'm not trying to. My goal is only to get you to realize that _everyone_ deserves a second chance." Hermione reached down and grasped Draco's shackled hands in her own. "In school, I was relentlessly tormented by Draco and his friends, for the simple fact that I am a Muggleborn. Despite this fact and our rocky history, Draco still saved my life during the Battle of Hogwarts. I don't know why he did it, but I know that I'm grateful for it."

Hermione looked down at Draco and smiled softly as he looked at her in wonder.

"Though not everyone saw it, the Malfoy family had tried to redeem themselves and correct their mistakes. They tried to do the right thing in the end; in the end, that's all that matters. Everyone deserves a second chance. I was tortured at the hands of a close relation to the Malfoy family," she looked down at this. "I thought I was going to die that day in the Malfoy Manor. After the Battle was over, Draco apologized to me for not being able to stop his aunt from hurting me," Draco lightly squeezed her hand at this and she looked down at him once more. With a soft, sad smile, Hermione looked back at the crowd. "He said he was sorry and I knew he meant every word of it. And you know what I did? I forgave him. If I could forgive him and his family for all that they've done against myself and others like me, can't you all at least give them one more chance?"

Hermione gave Draco's hand one last, reassuring squeeze before she resumed her seat next to Kingsley. The room seemed deadly quiet as her words sank in properly before Kingsley stood and addressed the court once more.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. Now, I think the Wizengamot may need some time to decide the fate of the Malfoy family. Guards, will you please escort the Malfoys to the nearest empty courtroom while we deliberate? Thank you. We shall call you back in no less than one hour."

Hermione turned to the Minister as the Malfoy family stood to exit the chamber. "Kingsley, would it be possible for me to have a word with Draco and his parents?" He hesitated only slightly before agreeing.

Hermione smiled sheepishly upon entering the spare chamber where the Malfoys were being kept. Instantly, Draco stood to greet her and Hermione noticed the slight limp in his step when he moved forward a little.

"Hermione," he said. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing here?"

Hermione chuckled lightly. "I came to help in any way I could." Draco seemed speechless and Hermione began to feel a little awkward as the room fell quiet. "Well, I can't way if my statement had any effect on them, but I hope it did."

"Why are you helping us, Miss Granger?" asked the voice of Narcissa Malfoy. "After everything we've put you through, why have you chosen to help us again?"

Hermione looked down and stayed silent for a moment. "Because despite everything that happened during the War, I still think you all deserve a second chance." She looked up with the ghost of a smile on her lips. "I have to believe that something good can still come out of all this tragedy."

A knock came on the chamber door and a Ministry official stuck his head in the room. "We're ready for you now," he said. "They've reached a decision."

As the Malfoys stood to exit the room and learn of their fates, Narcissa gently whispered in her son's ear. "Do you see it as well, Draco?" she asked as they looked on after Hermione as she took her seat next to the Minister.

Draco nodded. "Yes," he whispered back sadly. "I saw it the moment she stood up to defend us."

"As did I," his mother replied. "Miss Granger is glowing."


	5. Chapter 5: Distractions

Chapter 5

Distractions

The Wizengamot's final decision caused a rift in the crowd.

"With a vote of fifty-three to forty-seven, the Wizengamot rules that Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy be cleared of all charges, under the condition that the Malfoy family does all it can to help restore the magical community."

The shackles holding the three Malfoys magically released them upon hearing the verdict. Draco rubbed his wrists and looked up at Hermione in disbelief, not daring to believe that he was free. Hermione smiled genuinely down at him. Her testimony had helped and she couldn't help but feel a little happy. She had wanted to help them in any way she could, after all, Draco had saved her life and in so doing, had also saved the life growing inside of her. The least she could do was make sure he didn't get sent to Azkaban for trying to be a good person.

With a smile on her face, Hermione got up to leave and shook Kingsley's hand, agreeing to meet him in his office in a half hour. She was almost to the lifts when someone shouted her name from behind and she turned to see Draco rushing towards her, fighting his way through the crowd of people leaving the courtroom. Hermione stopped and waited for him as she stepped aside to let others enter the lift. Once Draco had reached her, he came up short. He opened and closed his mouth several times, not knowing what to say. Hermione smiled. "What is it, Draco?" she asked politely.

Draco looked at her and tried to speak but words seemed to elude him.

"I think," said the firm but gentle voice of Narcissa Malfoy from behind Draco. "What my son is trying to say, is thank you, Miss Granger." She laid a hand on Draco's shoulder and smiled lightly at Hermione.

Hermione looked down, not quite knowing what to say. She looked up as Draco finally spoke, picking up where his mother had left off. "Yes," he said. "Thank you. Your speech was probably the only thing that kept us from going to Azkaban. We don't deserve your kindness."

Hermione smiled. "Nonsense! You saved my life more than once. This was the least I could do." Silence fell between them as she offered an honest smile.

"We can't thank you enough, Miss Granger," Narcissa stated.

"Oh, no!" Hermione said with wide eyes. "There's no need for that. I-"

"Yes, there is," Draco interrupted with a fierce determination. "There's no way we can ever thank you enough, but I'm sure going to try! Perhaps," he continued with a glance at his parents. "We could have you over for dinner tonight. I know it's not much of a thank-you, but it's a start. What do you say, Hermione, join us for dinner this evening?"

Hermione stood rooted to the spot, shocked at such a kind and unexpected offer from the Malfoy family. She hadn't been expecting the leave the house this morning, let alone be invited to dinner by none other than Draco Malfoy. She hesitated before she answered. "I – I'm not – I'm not sure…"

"Please," Draco said as he did something unexpected and grasped both of Hermione's hands gently in his. "Please, Hermione, come to dinner at the Manor. Let us try to thank you properly. It's the least we can do."

Old habit told her not to trust the offer, but in the light of recent events, she decided that giving them one last chance couldn't hurt. Could it? Hermione looked in his eyes and was shocked to see them looking back at her with such gentle kindness and something else she couldn't quite identify. It was this that compelled her to agree.

"Okay," she said. "Dinner sounds lovely. Merlin knows I could do with a proper meal." Hermione noticed Narcissa give her a look of what she thought must be concern but ignored it. "What time should I be there?"

Draco released her hands with excitement in his eyes. "Excellent! Seven o'clock sound all right?"

Hermione smiled at his obvious joy. "Seven sounds perfect," she replied. "I'll see you then. Is there anything you would like me to bring along, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Oh, no," Narcissa replied with a chuckle. "No, that's quite all right, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded. "Okay, I'll see you at seven, then." She turned to leave but before she could get so far as two steps away she remembered her restricted traveling options. She winced slightly in embarrassment as she turned to address the Malfoys again. "I'm sorry," she said, avoiding eye contact. "I almost forgot. Would it be possible for me to come over by Floo tonight?"

Mrs. Malfoy gave Hermione what she thought was an understanding smile. "Of course, I'll be sure to open up our Floo restrictions to let you in as soon as we get home."

"Thank you," Hermione replied with a grateful sigh.

Narcissa nodded. "We'll see you this evening, Miss Granger."

Less than an hour later, Hermione returned home to Grimmuald Place only to freeze upon stepping out of the fireplace. Gathered in the kitchen were five people; Harry, Ron, Ginny, Mr. Weasley, and Luna. All of them were staring at her intently.

"Hermione, you're back!" exclaimed Harry as he rushed forward to embrace her. Worry had been evident on his face. Looking around at all those gathered, Hermione began to feel a little self-conscious. "What's going on, Harry? Is everything all right?" she asked as he released her.

"What's going on," said an irritated Ginny from the table. "Is that you had us all worried out of our minds! That's what's going on!"

Hermione flinched and gave an exasperated sigh as she looked back at Harry. "I _told_ you I would be back as soon as I could, Harry! I just had to talk to Kingsley, I told you this,"

"Yes, but you _didn't_ tell me you were going to defend the Malfoys at their trial." He looked at her pointedly.

Hermione furrowed her brows, unsure of how he had learned of this information so quickly. Seeing her confusion, another of the gathered group spoke up. "I saw you there," said Mr. Weasley. "I was there to watch the trial today. That was some speech you made."

"How could you defend the ferret?" spat an angry, red-faced Ron.

"Now, Ron," said Luna in her dreamy voice. "I'm sure Hermione had her reasons. There's no need to get upset. Anger attracts the Wrackspurts, you know."

"Yes, I did have my reasons," Hermione said with a grateful nod to Luna.

"I think we'd all love to hear those reasons," said Ginny as she crossed her arms.

Hermione looked around at all their expectant faces and gave a resigned sigh. "Fine," she stated. "First of all, if it wasn't for Narcissa Malfoy, Harry might have died. Second of all, in the end, they didn't want anything to do with Voldemort and the other Death Eaters. They tried to do the right thing."

"So?" said Ron. "I still don't see why you would defend Malfoy."

Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Because, Ron – if you would let me finish – Malfoy saved my life during the Battle. That's how he injured his leg."

"Ah," said Luna with an understanding smile. "So, that's why you helped patch him up after it was all over."

"Yes," Hermione affirmed. "I was being charged by an Acromantula when Malfoy pushed me out of the way. He was hit by a Burning Hex that was meant for me. The least I could do was help fix him up; that was the second time he saved my life during the Battle, after all."

Harry looked at her in confusion. "The second time? When was the first time?"

"In the Room of Requirement, when the Fiend Fyre started. When we were running – before we found those brooms – I was almost crushed by a giant stack of things. I didn't have time to react but before I knew what was going on I'd been pushed to the ground and out the way. Next thing I knew, Malfoy was pulling me up and telling me to run. He kept blasting things out of our way until I lost him somehow. Then we found the brooms and, well, you know the rest." The room fell quiet and Hermione looked around at all of their shocked faces. She shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath. "So, yes, I defended the Malfoys at their trial today. It was the least I could do after he saved my life, twice."

It took a moment, but Harry eventually gave her and understanding nod and she smiled, glad to know that she could at least get him to understand her actions. Ron still looked irritated but kept quiet. Ginny's face seemed to be a mixture of Harry's and Ron's reactions while Luna smiled as if she had succeeded in some way, but Mr. Weasley was looking at her in awe, as if he was just truly seeing her for the first time. "Hermione," he said. "You are a better person than I. I am so proud of you!" He then proceeded to wrap her in a tight hug and kiss the top of her head in a fatherly fashion.

Hermione gave him a huge, grateful smile before another wave of nausea hit her. So far, she had yet to really suffer from morning sickness, but she noticed for the first time today that Floo travel seemed to upset the baby and make her nauseous as a result.

Harry took immediate notice of her apparent illness and quickly became concerned. "Are you all right, Hermione? You don't look very good."

Hermione shook her head. "No, I'm not," she replied. "I haven't felt very well since I woke up this morning. I think I'm coming down with something. I should go lay down for a bit."

Harry looked even more concerned. "Maybe we should take you to go see Mrs. Weasley."

"No," Hermione said rather firmly. "I don't want to bother her. I'm fine, I think I just need to go lie down for a little while." Truth be told, she was frightened that Mrs. Weasley would be able to recognize the symptoms of pregnancy and see through her lies. She turned to address the others. "Thank you all for coming over. It's wonderful to see you."

With that, Hermione turned and left the kitchen before anyone could stop her.

Fred paced back and forth anxiously as he waited for him family to return, hopefully with Hermione in tow. Harry had returned to the Burrow this morning in a right state. Apparently, Hermione had left in a hurry to go see Kingsley at the Ministry but refused to tell Harry why. It wasn't until Mr. Weasley arrived home two hours later that the full story was revealed.

_"__Arthur," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing home already? I wasn't expecting you for at least another few hours."_

_Mr. Weasley sighed. "I expected the trial to take a lot longer than it did, dear."_

_"__Oh?" she replied, intrigued. "How did it go?"_

_Mr. Weasley massaged his temples as if to sooth a headache, every eye on him. "Well," he started, bracing himself. "The Malfoys got off."_

_"__WHAT?"_

_"__You've got to be kidding me!"_

_"__Are you joking?"_

_More cries of outrage could be heard throughout the Weasley kitchen. "How did they manage to do that, Arthur?"_

_"__A last-minute testimony was given in their favor."_

_"__What?" Ron exclaimed in outrage._

_"__Who gave the testimony?" Ginny asked._

_Mr. Weasley heaved an even bigger sigh. "How could one, last-minute testimony sway the council's vote?" George asked. "I thought they were all pretty set on sending them to Azkaban?"_

_"__They were," Mr. Weasley replied. "Until they listened to her speech. It was brilliant actually. She told the court things I didn't even know about. It was a very moving testimony and I'm not surprised the Wizengamot changed their minds."_

_"__Who was it, Dad?" Ginny asked again._

_Mr. Weasley hesitated before he turned to Harry, who had temporarily forgotten his worries about Hermione. "Harry, did you know about the scar on Hermione's arm?"_

_The room fell deadly silent. "I'm sorry, Arthur, are you saying that _Hermione_ was the one to give a testimony on behalf of the Malfoys?" Molly asked in disbelief._

_Mr. Weasley nodded. "It was, well, quite a moving speech. Did you know about her scar, Harry? Ron?"_

_Both boys seemed to cringe as they nodded. All but Fred seemed confused._

_"__Scar?" Ginny inquired. "What scar?"_

_Harry hesitated. "Hermione was tortured by Bellatrix when we were captured by Snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix carved the word – Mudblood – into Hermione's arm."_

_Mrs. Weasley's hand flew to her lips as she let out a horrified gasp. Mr. Weasley nodded. "Harry, I think it's best if you take me to go see Hermione."_

_"__Okay," Harry replied, obviously agreeing with him._

_"__I'm going, too," Ginny and Ron both demanded._

_"__I'll go as well," said Luna's dreamy voice from the corner._

_Fred spoke for the first time since his father had arrived home. "If you all are going to see her, then so am I."_

_The room got quiet again. "I think it's best if you sit this one out, Fred," said his father._

_Fred looked at him incredulously. "What? No, I'm-"_

_Mr. Weasley held up a hand to silence Fred's arguments. "No, Fred. As much as I want you and Hermione to talk and work everything out, now is not the time. I need to discuss Hermione's actions with her but if you're there, she'll only be distracted."_

_After a moment, Fred shot up from his chair and left the room in anger. George sighed and followed after his twin. Fred huffed and puffed while he paced around him and George's old room while he waited for his family to return. _

_They didn't do so for another two hours, and upon their return, Fred overheard words that caused his stomach to drop as he stood listening outside the kitchen with George._

_"__Well," said a voice they recognized as Ginny's. "I see why she stood up for them, now."_

_"__Yes," they heard their father agree. "I don't think they deserved it, but I'm proud of Hermione for standing up for what she believed was right."_

_Ron snorted. "Still," he said. "The way she talked seemed a little off to me. She talked like Malfoy was her friend; like maybe there was something going on between them."_

_Fred's face fell._

_"__Oh, come off it, Ron," Ginny said. They could practically hear her rolling her eyes at him. "She was just grateful he saved her life twice. You're just upset that they might become friends."_

_Ron grunted and Fred stormed out of the house. He had heard enough._

After a quick shower and nap, Hermione stood in her room, wondering why on Earth she had agreed to go to dinner at the Malfoys. She didn't have anything fancy to wear and she knew that the Malfoy family always dressed formally. Or at least, she had only ever seen them dress formally. After nearly an hour of fretting over what to wear, Hermione berated herself for being so girly. Why should she care what she wore? She didn't need to impress anyone, least of all the Malfoy family. Despite herself, Hermione still found herself wearing her best outfit. At a quarter to seven, she snuck down the stairs to the kitchen in Grimmuald Place, making sure that the coast was clear before activating the Floo. In a flash of green flames, she was gone.

The ghastly sensation of being sucked through a tiny tube made Hermione queasy again and upon her arrival at Malfoy Manor, she stumbled. She would have fallen if it had not been for the pair of strong, warm arms that caught her gently around the waist.

"Easy there, Hermione," said a familiar, silky-smooth voice in her ear. "We wouldn't want you to fall and get hurt, now, would we?"

Hermione looked up into the cool, grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. It was still such a shock to hear him call her by her first name. Hermione blushed in embarrassment, brushing the soot off her clothes as Draco released her. "Thank you, Draco."

He smile. Draco Malfoy actually smiled. Hermione shook her head lightly. Seeing that was going to take some getting used to. "Of course," he said. "I'm glad you could make it tonight."

Hermione smiled, not knowing what else to really say. "I appreciate the invitation."

Draco nodded and gestured for her to follow him. As she followed Draco down the hall, Hermione couldn't help but notice that the silence between them was comfortable instead of awkward or strained. It was nice. Maybe this dinner wouldn't be so bad after all.

Two hours later, Hermione found herself smiling and laughing as Mrs. Malfoy told embarrassing stories of Draco's childhood. "And then, he nicked my wand to try to fix it but, of course, it went wrong. I walked in to see him standing there with my wand and all the pieces of the vase stuck to him! He tried to use a Sticking Charm instead of Repairo."

Hermione chuckled as Draco went slightly pink. "I was only three years old, Mum," he mumbled.

Mrs. Malfoy smiled. "That's what made it so adorable."

A comfortable pause met this before Hermione gave her thanks for the evening. "Thank you so much for dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."

"No," said Lucius with a rare smile. "Thank _you_, Miss Granger. You've done so much for our family and we can never truly repay you."

Hermione looked down to hide her blush. "I just saw how much you all cared for each other. You did the things you did to protect one another. That's a powerful kind of love. You all deserved a second chance."

"Now, Miss Granger," said Mrs. Malfoy as she took a sip of her tea. "We're not proud of the things we've done, but if we had to do it all over again, we would still do whatever it took to keep our family alive. I'm sure your family would do the same for you, dear."

Hermione's face fell slightly and she looked away. "I wouldn't know," she said quietly. "I haven't seen them in nearly two years."

They all looked at her questioningly. "Two years?" Mrs. Malfoy inquired. "Why is that?"

Hermione hesitated. "Well, after everything that happened at the Ministry in our fifth year, I – well, I saw how dangerous things were getting. I nearly died that year and I knew it wouldn't be long before the War got really bad. So, after I turned seventeen in our sixth year, I went home for the Christmas holidays and I – I – I wiped their memories of me." Hermione's lips quivered slightly and a small "Oh!" escaped Mrs. Malfoy's lips. "I figured the only way to keep them safe was if they couldn't remember who I was. So, I wiped their memories and sent them off to Australia. I did what I could to protect them."

"Oh, Miss Granger," said Mrs. Malfoy in sympathy as she reached over to gently squeeze her hand.

"Wait," said Draco in confusion. "If you wiped their memories at Christmas, then where did you go once the school year ended?"

"The Leaky Cauldron," she replied. "I stayed there under a false name for a week before I left for the Weasley's house."

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Mrs. Malfoy spoke up again. "Are you parents still in Australia then?"

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes," she said. "But not for long. I'm going there to look for them in a few days' time."

"What?" Draco exclaimed as his mother nearly choked on another sip of tea. "You can't!"

Hermione's brow furrowed at their reactions. "Why not?"

"It's still dangerous, Hermione," Draco said with great concern. "You can't go off and do that all alone. You could get hurt or killed!"

Hermione smiled lightly. "You sound like Harry."

Draco sat up a little straighter. "Well, Potter's right."

Hermione sighed. "I'll be all right."

"Of course you will," was Draco's immediate reply. "Because I'm going with you."

Hermione sat there in stunned silence for a moment before gathering her bearings. "Thanks for the offer, Draco, but it's not necessary."

"Of course it's necessary," Lucius chimed in. "Draco is right, it's far too dangerous for you to be traveling that far on your own."

"Not only that," said a concerned Narcissa. "But it's risky to be traveling on your own in your condition, Miss Granger."

Hermione's face fell and she went slightly green. "My c-c-condition?" she stammered.

Mrs. Malfoy nodded and took another sip of her tea. "Oh, yes, it's wisest to have a travel companion for long distanced when you're pregnant, dear."

Hermione's jaw dropped and her eyes popped. "How – how did – h-h-how did you – "

Mrs. Malfoy chuckled lightly. "Oh, I could see it plain as day this morning at the trial, Miss Granger."

"I saw it, too," said Draco. "It's a bit of a family trait, really. Just something my mother and I have always been able to tell," Draco paused and went pink at his confession. "I thought there was something different about you when you helped fix my leg, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Then I saw you this morning and it all made sense."

"Wait," Hermione said. "You could tell that at the Battle? I didn't even know it then!"

Draco shrugged. "Like I said, it's just something we can tell." Hermione looked down, not really knowing what to think or say. What do you say when someone tells you they knew you were pregnant before you did?

"How far along are you, Miss Granger?" Mrs. Malfoy asked gently.

"Almost two months, I'd say. It happened the night we escaped from… well, here actually," Hermione cringed slightly and looked down at her hands.

Mrs. Malfoy paused briefly before gingerly reaching over to grasp her hand again. "I'm sorry for the terrible things that happened to you in my house, dear. I swear to you, nothing like that will _ever_ happen to you in this house again, Miss Granger. From this moment on, you and your baby are always welcome here."

Hermione was touched by the woman's offer and she smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa waved off her thanks. "Of course, dear. Now, if my calculations are correct, your Muggle due date is sometime in January."

"Muggle due date?" Hermione inquired with her eyebrow raised.

Narcissa smiled. "Yes. Magical pregnancies tend to last about a month longer than Muggle pregnancies do. I believe it's because the magic needs more time to develop. Am I correct in assuming the child's father is a Weasley?"

Hermione blushed and nodded, trying to hide her pain. "Yes. Fred Weasley."

"Well, then," Mrs. Malfoy said as her son looked down at his own tea, somewhat sadly. "I'd say you'd be due somewhere around late January or early February." Hermione nodded.

"How were you planning on getting to Australia to find your parents?" Draco asked out of nowhere, trying desperately to change the subject.

"I've talked with Kinglsey and he's agreed to arrange an international Portkey for me. I leave the day after tomorrow."

"Well, in that case," said Mr. Malfoy as he stood from his chair and offered a hand to his wife. "You had better get home to start packing. And, Draco, I suggest you pack as much Anti-nausea potion as possible to take with you two."

Hermione stumbled over her words. "No, Mr. Malfoy, that's not necessary. I'm more than capable of doing this on my own."

"Of course you are, Miss Granger, I don't doubt that, but I cannot, in good conscious, allow you to put yourself in harm's way. Especially when you are going to be having a baby. When Narcissa was pregnant with Draco I'd hardly allow her to lift a book without assistance. Please, allow my son to go with you, to be safe. If nothing else, at least you'll have some company."

Before Hermione could object, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy left to retire for the evening. Draco stood from the table and offered Hermione his hand, much like his father and done for his mother. Gently, she took it and together they headed for the fireplace so could return to Grimmuald Place for the night.

As they reached their destination, Hermione began to fidget. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For inviting me to dinner, Draco."

Draco waved off her thanks. "Nonsense, this was only the first of many dinners to thank you for what you've done for us." He smiled down at her in a way she'd never seen him smile before.

Hermione smiled sheepishly at him. "I appreciate it, Draco."

He nodded. "I'll send you and owl when I've finished packing for our trip to Australia."

Hermione faltered in her movements to enter the fireplace. "No, Draco, I – I didn't think you were serious about that. I-"

Draco held up a hand to silence her. "Of course, I was serious, Hermione. I'm going with you whether you like it or not. I want to help you find your parents and," he hesitated. "it will be good for me to get out of England for a little while."

"Ah," Hermione said as she nodded in understanding. She sighed. What harm could it do to have him come along? "All right. I'll owl Kingsley to let him know you'll be joining me."

Draco beamed at her. "Excellent! I'll start my packing tonight, then."

Hermione smiled and disappeared in the bright green flames, a lot happier than she had been in a week. It felt good to help someone again and this dinner had been the perfect distraction from her heartbreak with Fred.

Hermione crawled into her bed at Grimmuald Place that night with a little less sadness in her heart, thinking that, perhaps everything would work itself out.


	6. Chapter 6: Escape it All

Hermione woke the next morning feeling refreshed. She hadn't slept that well since the falling-out with Fred. Hermione crawled out of bed and flicked her wand. Everything she would need for her trip to Australia began to shrink and pack itself into her tiny, beaded handbag. As her few possessions packed themselves, Hermione sat at the tiny writing desk in the corner of the room to compose a letter to Kingsley, informing him of her new travel companion. She had just finished writing when she realized she didn't have an owl to send it.

Hermione managed to pry open her window to charm the letter to fly to the Minister when a knock came on her bedroom door. "Come in!" she called over her shoulder as she charmed the letter to only open for Kingsley.

Harry walked in with a breakfast tray just as she was releasing the letter in the morning light. "What's going on?" he asked as he ducked to avoid being hit by a passing book as it packed itself away.

Hermione turned to him with a small smile on her face. "Oh, nothing, Harry. Just packing what I'll need for my trip to find my parents."

Harry nearly dropped the tray he was still holding. "What?" he said sharply. "You're leaving?"

Hermione laughed lightly. "Yes, I am. Not until tomorrow, though. I talked with Kingsley after the trial yesterday and he's agreed to set up an international Portkey for me. I leave for Sydney first thing tomorrow morning."

Harry stumbled over his words for several seconds. "Hermione, I still _really_ think I should go with you. It's still so dangerous and I'm worried about you."

Hermione smiled at him. "I know you're worried, Harry, but I'll be fine, I swear. I'll be careful, I promise."

"But-" he started.

Hermione held up a hand to silence him. "Harry, I'll be fine. They don't call me the 'brightest witch of our age' for nothing."

Harry smiled at the statement. "Fine," he said. "I won't argue about you going alone, if…" a conspiratorial grin crossed his features. "You promise to go speak with Fred tonight at the family dinner."

Hermione's smile vanished and she paled as her heart dropped. "Harry, that's not fair; you know I can't. I'm not ready!"

"No," Harry replied. "What wouldn't be fair would be you leaving for Australia without at least letting Fred know. It's bad enough you won't let us tell him where you're at right now. If you just disappeared without a word, he'd panic, Hermione. You'll make him think you're never coming back. He's desperate just to _see_ you. Don't make the poor bloke wallow in his own misery forever."

Hermione sighed and ran a hand through her hair out of defeat. "Damnit, Harry," she said. "Using a guilt trip to get what you want… You can be such a Slytherin sometimes, you know that?" Harry smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Fine," Hermione continued. "I'll go and talk to him, but I can't promise I won't punch him."

Harry chuckled lightly. "I'm surprised you haven't done that already."

The rest of the day was spent sipping tea with Harry and losing spectacularly at Wizard's Chess. Hermione quite enjoyed spending the day with Harry and she knew she would miss him greatly while she was away. Before they knew it, it was nearly time to head to the Burrow for that family dinner. Hermione stretched from her seat in the drawing room and told Harry that she was going to go change for dinner.

When she reached her room, Hermione was surprised to find a handsome Eagle owl waiting for her, perched on her bedpost. "Well, hello," she said curiously. "And who might you be from?" Gently she detached the letter from the owl's leg and quickly read the short letter. It had surprisingly neat handwriting and Hermione noticed the owl remained where he was, as if he had instruction to wait for a reply.

_Hermione,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I'm writing to let you know that I am packed and ready to accompany you to Australia tomorrow morning. If it is all right with you, I will meet you in front of the receptionist's desk at seven o'clock. Unless there is some other place you would prefer to meet?_

_I hope my mother didn't make you uncomfortable last night with all her questions about your… health. Honestly, I think it just brought back some fond memories for her. Mother always used to say how happy she was when she was pregnant with me. But all the same, I hope it didn't upset you. _

_Anyway, I should go. Please, write back with our meeting time and place as soon as you can. Feel free to send your reply back with my owl, he's quite reliable._

_Yours,_

_Draco_

_P.S. My mother's offer was quite genuine; you are welcome here at any time. Please, don't hesitate if there's anything you need. Our Floo restrictions have been permanently opened for you._

Hermione smiled lightly to herself as she read Draco's letter and hastily wrote a reply before getting around for dinner.

Ten minutes later, Hermione emerged out of the Weasleys' fireplace, nervous and fidgeting with the hem of her blouse.

"I'll be okay," Harry said gently as he squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry about Fred. Just pretend this is any other family meal. It will all work out just fine." Hermione nodded and took a deep, shuddering breath as they stepped into the kitchen.

"Ginny, dear, will you please set the plates out for me?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she bustled about the room, tending to several pots and pans.

"Sure, Mum," was the reply.

"Dinner smells lovely, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said quietly from the doorway.

The room seemed to freeze as all eyes fell on her. It didn't take long for the shock to wear off, though. "Oh, thank Merlin!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she engulfed Hermione in a bone-crushing hug.

"I hope I'm not imposing, Mrs. Weasley. I can leave if – "

"Nonsense!" Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "You're always welcome here, dear. I've just finished making dinner. Have a seat and we'll all tuck in."

Hermione nodded and took the seat at the end of the table next to Ginny. She avoided Fred's eyes throughout the entire meal. All went well until the end of dessert.

"Oh, Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley with a happy sigh. "It's so good to have you back at home again, dear."

Hermione's smile faltered and she looked guiltily down at her slice of apple pie. "Actually," she said. "I'm not staying, Mrs. Weasley." Silence filled the air as the Weasleys exchanged nervous looks. Hermione gulped and continued talking as she picked at her pie. "I wanted to come see you all tonight; tell everyone good-bye before I leave tomorrow."

"Leave?" questioned Mr. Weasley.

"Yes," she replied with a little more confidence. "Yesterday, after the trial, I met with Kingsley and he's agreed to help me find my parents in Australia. He's arranged for an international Portkey. I leave tomorrow."

Hermione expected them all to explode but instead, they were silent as the grave. Hermione glanced up curiously to see them all watching a red-faced Fred. She could see him fighting with himself. His cheeks were flushed from trying not to explode and his knuckles where white from gripping his knife and fork so tightly.

"Hermione," Fred said quietly after quickly calming himself. "Can I have a word with you outside, please?"

Hermione took a deep breath. She knew this was coming. "Okay," she agreed.

Hermione stood in the garden with her arms crossed, watching Fred pace as he tried to find the right words. "Fred," she said. "You're going to wear a path in your mum's garden if you keep pacing like that."

Fred paused in his movements and took a deep breath before facing Hermione. "I want to go with you," he said.

Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion. "What?"

"I want to go with you," he repeated. "To Australia, I mean."

Hermione was shocked. "Why?"

Fred sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Because it's dangerous and I don't want anything to happen to you."

Hermione hesitated a moment before replying. "I'll be fine, Fred. Kingsley wouldn't have agreed to set this up for me if he didn't think I would be safe."

"Hermione, please," he pleaded as he took a step closer to her. "Please, don't do this alone. Let me come with you. I'm worried about you and I care about you. Please, don't disappear on me again."

Hermione flinched at his words. This was a lot harder than she thought it would be. She looked down at her feet and chose her words carefully. "I need some time alone, Fred."

"Hermione," Fred said softly as he took another step closer to her, gently lifting her chin with his fingers. "It's still too dangerous to do this alone. I don't want anything to happen to you out there."

Hermione looked in his beautiful eyes and tried not to react to his soft touch. She missed him so much but she knew she couldn't give in so easily. "Fred, I … I can't," she said with a tremble.

"Please, let me come with you."

Tears formed in Hermione's eyes and she tried her hardest not to let her voice shake. "You don't understand, Fred. After everything I've seen, both in the war and then you with – _her_, I just can't do this with you right now. It hurts too much." Fred faltered slightly in his actions of cupping her cheek in his hand. Hermione sighed, defeated, and continued. "I'm sorry, Fred, but I can't be around you right now. I'm going to look for my parents. I won't be gone forever. I just need time before – "

Hermione was cut off by Fred's lips on hers. She froze as he kissed her fiercely, desperately. Hermione wanted to give in to the kiss so badly but all she could think about was Fred kissing Verity. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and she forced herself away from Fred roughly.

"I can't do this, Fred," she said as she quickly looked away.

"Please, Hermione," Fred begged as he reached out for her again.

"No, Fred," she said flatly as she backed away some more. "I can't handle this right now. Not when all I can think about is you with her. One kiss isn't going to make up for that, Fred. I won't be gone long. Maybe we can talk more when I get home."

"Hermione, love," Fred said desperately as he inched towards her again. "Please, don't walk away like this again. I love you. Let me prove it. Don't go on this trip alone."

Hermione shook her head as her tears increased at his words. "You can't fix this with one kiss and an apology. I'm not even sure it is fixable but, you can't just try to force your way in on my trip because you want to redeem yourself." Fred made to speak but Hermione held up a hand to silence him. Her tears were coming on even stronger now. It was killing her to deny Fred. "Don't worry about me," she said as she avoided his eyes. "I'm not going alone."

With that, Hermione disapparated, landing on the doorstep of number twelve Grimmuald Place.

Quickly, Hermione entered the house and summoned her beaded bag that now held all of her possessions. Tears still streaking down her face and Fred's words still echoing in her ears, Hermione shoved the bag hastily in the pocket of her jeans. Hermione exited the house once more and froze on the doorstep, not really knowing where to go now. She knew she couldn't stay at Grimmuald Place for the night. As much as Harry wanted to protect her and respect her wishes, he would eventually tell Fred where she was staying. She couldn't stay at her parent's old house – that would be the first place they looked when they couldn't find her at number twelve. She couldn't stay at the Leaky Cauldron, she was too famous now and the last thing she needed was rumors spreading and the Daily Prophet getting ahold of a story like this. Besides, that was in Diagon Alley, far too close to the twins' shop.

It didn't take long for her to come to realize that there was only one place for her to go. Hermione bit her lip and apparated away.

Without even hesitating, Hermione strode up the familiar path to the large house and quickly knocked on the giant front door before she could talk herself out of it. In the two minutes it took for someone to answer the door, Hermione did the best she could to compose herself and wipe away her tears. Swiftly, the door opened and a confused Draco met Hermione's eyes.

"Hermione?" he said uncertainly. "What's going on? Is everything all right?"

Hermione stopped. She hadn't worked out what she was going to say and now she felt incredibly stupid and embarrassed. Silence hung between them as Hermione fought to find the right words. Draco looked at her in a calculating way, as if trying to figure her out. He took a step outside of the Manor, towards her in concern.

"Hermione…"

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I – I shouldn't be here. I'll just go – "

"No," Draco said while quickly grabbing her hand before she could turn away. "Hermione, did you apparate here? You know that's not safe for you and the baby." He caught sight of her tear streaked face and pulled her towards him without thinking and and engulfed her in his arms protectively. Hermione broke down instantly. They stood like that for several minutes on the Manor's front step. Draco's worry for her grew as she gripped the front of his black shirt with her whole body shaking with sobs.

At first, Draco was unsure of what to do, but he quickly recovered and held her even closer, making comforting noises. After a moment of two, Hermione seemed to pull herself together and gently extracted herself from Draco's arms. _What had gotten into her? She was going to Draco bleeding Malfoy for comfort…_

"I'm sssorry," she spluttered. "I shouldn't be here. I dddon't know what's gotten into me. I'll jjjust leave…"

Before she could so much as move Draco gripped her shoulders. "Hermione," he said in a soft but firm voice. "It's late. You're not going anywhere. Come in and tell me what's happened."

Hermione did little to resist Draco as he pulled her inside the Manor. Quietly Draco closed the door and led Hermione to the nearest sitting room. It was late and his parents had already headed off to bed. Once he had settled Hermione on the sofa nearest the fireplace, he sat next to her and conjured a couple of cups of fresh, hot tea for them.

Hermione couldn't help but appreciate Draco's kind actions. After a few moments of silence as the pair sipped their tea, Hermione stopped crying and Draco thought it might be safe to ask her the question he'd been burning to ask her. "Hermione," he said quietly as he sat both of their cups aside. He turned to face her and carefully touched her arm with concern. "What happened? Is…is the baby all right?"

Hermione looked at him, shocked. Unconsciously, she ran a delicate hand over her still-flat stomach. She shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with the baby." Relief flooded Draco's eyes and he visibly relaxed. Hermione could have sworn she heard him mutter 'thank Merlin' under his breath and was in awe once more. He cared for her, although she couldn't fathom why.

"Okay," Draco said while standing from his seat. "Well, in that case, you can tell me all about what has you so upset while we get you settled in a guest room for the night." Draco offered her his hand and she took it, not quite knowing what to say.

The next morning Hermione was woken by a flood of light streaming through a nearby window. Groggily, she tried to move but felt a pair of strong arms tighten around her waist. Hermione looked up and saw none other than Draco Malfoy propped up against the headboard, fast asleep while she used his chest as a pillow. Hermione was under the covers while Draco sat on top of them – a complete gentleman.

Hermione smiled as she got up from the bed and stretched. Draco had been the perfect example of a shoulder to cry on the night before. He'd stayed up for hours while Hermione cried in his arms and told him what had happened. In the end, Hermione had fallen asleep feeling much better than before Draco had insisted she tell him everything.

Hermione let Draco sleep a little longer while she composed a letter to Harry, knowing he was probably freaking out by now. Hermione sent to letter off just as Draco was waking up. She smiled at him. "I had to use your owl to send Harry a letter. I hope you don't mind."

Draco returned her smile with one of his own. "Of course not."

Harry paced back and forth in the kitchen of Grimmuald Place, worry etched on his face. Hermione had not returned home last night after her conversation with Fred in the garden. They all knew that it had ended badly and Hermione had left. Fred had come back, frantic that she had run off again. Harry left immediately to go comfort her, but she wasn't at Grimmuald Place. In fact, she wasn't anywhere he looked. After nearly three hours of searching, Harry had returned to number twelve in hopes that Hermione would eventually return home.

But morning arrived with still no sign of her. Harry was growing frantic with worry. Should he alert those at the Burrow that he couldn't find her? He had resolved to do so when a tapping noise came from the tiny basement window. Harry looked up and hastily made his way to let the large owl in. Relief flooded him when he recognized Hermione's handwriting on the letter tied to its leg. There was something familiar about this owl but Harry shook it off as he read the letter.

_Harry,_

_I'm sorry I didn't come home last night. I know you're probably worried sick but, I'm fine. I promise. I stayed with a friend last night. I just had to escape it all for a little while._

_Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I was safe. I'm about to leave for Australia, so, I can't write much more. I'll come see you as soon as I get back, Harry. Wish me luck!_

_Love from,_

_Hermione_

Harry sighed in relief. At least she was safe.


End file.
